A series of novels, tracing Katie’s journey through various genre of other novels. As a consequence, some scenes are of an adult nature, sometimes explicit and sometimes involving kidnap. So please do not read if any of that is offensive to you.
Katie Anderson enjoys her husband’s jealousy, his control at home, it allows him to show how much he loves her. In work she’s a different person where, as Detective Inspector Anderson, she’s put in charge, for the first time, of a murder case. A government experiment has gone wrong, would-be creatures, to be used in warfare, have gone rogue, maybe they are responsible for the murder and kidnap she’s investigating.
Escape with Katie as she tries to clear up this mystery, but cannot do it alone. Assigned a PC who is well known, among the women of the community, for his prowess, Katie discovers more about herself, the creatures, and what true love is really like.
A steamy, dark-romance novel, of lies, intrigue, love, and despair. Should Katie trust her husband of eight years? Can she trust her lover with the reputation he brings with him? Who are the people she meets on her journey, that hold such strange names? And why is crime accepted in the community she falls into?
Above all, why is London involved, and which man, if any, will she choose to keep her sane?
This is a book that blends mystery with emotion and raunchiness. The narrative peels back layers of the characters, revealing backstories and motivations that add depth to the unfolding mystery. The novel keeps readers engaged.
This was an interesting book in that it has the underlying detective story, but then there’s a secondary story told in italics of Katie’s thought process throughout. The author has written it as an overlay to the main story. It’s sexy, it’s fun, it’s hard-hitting, and it works.
Holt’s attention to detail, particularly in the way they capture the nuances of interpersonal relationships works well. As the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, the reader is led on an emotional journey that leaves a lasting impact.
The characters’ growth, as they navigate their personal histories and the central mystery, is portrayed with realism and humour.
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Stephenson Holt is an author that physically writes between 5am and 8am each morning, leaving that painting to sketch and dream for the rest of the day. Sometimes he returns into normality but not for long periods. For most of his life he is constructing one novel while sketching the next novel – it keeps the mind fresh.
His favourite sketch and dream places are;-
I. Lying on a beach listening to the waves.
II. A favourite armchair in the conservatory with heavy rain on the roof.
III. Laying in a hot bath staring at a tiled wall.
IV. Sitting next to a canal where he used to fish as a boy.
V. Motorway driving.
VI. That chair in the corner of the greenhouse, shielded from the sun by that grapevine and next to the olive tree, full of bird feeders.
VII. Gardening with a corner of his eye on the sparrow returning to the nest in the eaves above him and imagining he’s the sparrow looking down on himself.
VIII. Running a familiar route where he doesn’t have to concentrate on where he’s going.
When stuck for inspiration he will;-
I. Listen to an episode of “The Invisible College” a series of ten minute podcasts from BBC Radio 4 that sit nicely on an iPod.
II. Listen to a three album collection converted to CD of Jack Kerouac reciting and backed by either piano or saxophone. Including “Poetry for the beat generation” and “American Haikus.”
III. Fight like a superhero with a six year old grandson.
IV. Walk in the hills.
Reviewed in Australia on 6 May 2023
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Reviewed in the United States on 2 March 2023
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 August 2022
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KATHERINE BLACK BOOKS: https://katherineblackbooks.com/
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Katherine Black / Susan (Sooz) Simpson
Founder of Best Book Editors
Katherine has held almost every single job imaginable, from painting gnomes to zookeeper. She spent most of her life in the caring profession and has managed both a nursing home and a care agency. But her passion for the written language always brings her home to novel writing.
Born in Tyne-and-Wear, North-East England, she has settled in the beautiful Lake District, Cumbria, with her partner, two dogs, a cat, an iguana and a python (just don’t ask her which of those six things is her favourite!).
She specialises in content creation and social media outreach, and has been a developmental editor for hundreds of clients. She owns and operates bestbookeditors.com where she helps foundling authors polish their skills. However, after being diagnosed with a dramatic brain condition in 2022, she has had to let 23 staff go, and scale back the business. BBE is still very much open, we are just fewer and can’t take as much work on.
Katherine Black is the author of psychological thriller/detective/fantasy adventure novels.